Rose and Scorpius How They Came Together
by thebackupkid
Summary: This is my version of how Rose and Scorpius realised that they were a bit more than just, competitors.
1. Chapter 1

Fanfiction: Rose and Scorpius  
This is my account of how I believe Rose and Scorpius found their feelings for each other.  
I Do Not own any of the characters in this story  
J.K Rowling owns these characters

1

It was common knowledge around Hogwart's School that the Weasley's and the Potter's don't get along with the Malfoy's: well, one particular Malfoy. They mostly ignored each other, although the feud between their parents was somewhat resolved, there was irritation and sometimes jealousy that got in the way of a mutual friendship. If any of the Potters was in detention, it was classified as a regular occurrence.

They just couldn't help but duel or argue with Scorpius if they were in the same corridor. However the quarrels were more common between Rose and Scorpius. Being the same age, they clashed heads a lot more than the other Potters and Hugo Weasley. They were clever, stubborn and competitive. This battle for the top of the class started in their first year.

So there they are, in their sixth year, still competing for the top prize. Both Rose and Scorpius continued to go out of their way to annoy each other, although Scorpius seemed to succeed better in this category than Rose. He would just have to appear in her line of vision and she would huff and scowl in his direction. Plus, he was in all of her classes. She just couldn't get away from him.

Overall, today was just not Rose's day. She was the example of exemplary behaviour, the best out her cousins and her brother, but that was not the problem. The problem was Scorpius.

'As it always is,' Albus Potter sighs, when she would complain to him.

Rose could tell that he was bored of hearing how bad Scorpius was. He reminded her constantly that he was in all of their classes and knew perfectly well what Scorpius was capable of.

Anyway this day was particularly a rough one. Rose has managed to receive detention that Scorpius framed her for. This was the absolute final straw for Rose. She vowed to herself that the next time she saw Scorpius Malfoy he would have his face rearranged. She got her chance after serving her detention.

Turning the corridor, she noticed him laughing with his Slytherin friends. Believing that they were laughing at her misfortune, Rose turned scarlet with rage and stormed over to them. At this point, Rose didn't care if she got a hundred more detentions, she only cared that Scorpius got what he deserved.

He turned around just as she was a few feet away. He blinked in surprise seeing she was heading straight for his group, making Rose doubt her purpose for a second. That doubt was erased when his all-to-familiar crooked smile flashed across his face.

'Can I talk to you?' she snarled in his face. The students walking past stared at her in disbelief. Rose Weasley never talked to Scorpius Malfoy, let alone marched up to him personally.

Scorpius watched the other students who had started to slow down to eavesdrop and scowled in their direction. They quickened their pace as Rose looked at Scorpius, surprised. He saw her reaction, going back to sneering at her.

Rose could hear his friends taunt her with, 'oohh…', 'look out Scorpius, the weasel is here,' 'she looks even uglier up close'.

Rose just smiled sarcastically at them. She knew that she could easily pull out her wand and hex all of them before they had time to blink, but she was saving it all for Scorpius.

Scorpius knew what she was thinking, and raised an eyebrow as if to stay, 'you can try'.

'So are you going to talk or not?' Rose snapped, her patience wearing thin.

They stared each other until Scorpius said with a shrug. 'Sure, Weasel. I was starting to get bored anyway.'

She turned on her heel and walked down the corridor, not waiting for Scorpius to catch up. She heard his friends whispering their surprise and concern behind her back. She reached an empty corridor, turning to see where he was. Scorpius was trailing leisurely, looking quickly out of the window when she caught his eye. Was he staring at her?

_No way Rose, _she thought, _what on earth are you going to think of next? Besides, he is gross._

When he was a few feet away, Rose took a few strides, grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and slammed him with as much strength as she could muster against the stone wall.

'Hey what –' he yelped before Rose cut across him.

'How dare you, Malfoy! Why did you do that for?' she yelled at him, not caring that she probably had ugly red blotches on her cheeks.

He smirked down at her, his arrogance returning, making her anger seethe white hot. 'Oh ... are you referring to your little trip to detention?'

'Of course I am! What else did you think I wanted to talk to you about?'

'Well, I was wondering whether you were going to ask me out yet or not,' he said shrugging, that crooked smile on his face once more.

Rose nearly hexed him right there. 'Me? Ask you out?' Rose spluttered, before regaining her composure. 'That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Like I would ever want to go out with slime like you.'

Something flashed across Scorpius' eyes. But before Rose could register what it was, his face went back to that almost bored, mischievous look.

'Don't worry too much, Weasel. Nearly everyone in your family has received detention. It is almost like tradition for you to be there. You should be thanking me.'

'Thank you?' Rose repeated shrilly. 'You framed me. You made it look like I did that, you arrogant, backstabbing –'

'Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now, now Weasley ... Are you really cursing? This must be a first,' he muttered, sneering.

Rose was ready to punch him in the face. A few students had crept back along the corridor, watching with bright interest as her and Scorpius bickered. Instead of hexing all of the bystanders, she resolved to shove Scorpius into the closest abandoned classroom, which was conveniently right beside where they were.

When they were inside and no student was in sight, Rose rounded back to him.

'The fact of the issue is that you cheated. You cheated, and then decided to frame me in some sick little joke you concocted up and got me in detention. I want you to go back and tell the professor it was you that cheated and not me!'

Scorpius snorted. 'Like I would do anything a Weasel wanted.'

Rose yelled out in frustration as Scorpius laughed, looking around the room. His face turned from delight to confusion. 'I didn't know that there was a classroom on this corridor?'

'Stop trying to change the subject, Malfoy,' she growled. If he said anything else, Rose swore she would whip out her wand and hex him.

'I'm not, seriously,' he said, sneer and arrogance gone. 'Don't you think it is a bit odd that you wanted privacy to yell at me and a room happens to appear feet away?'

'No,' Rose said quickly, not wanting to agree with him about anything. 'It happens all of the time.'

She mimicked Scorpius, looking around the classroom. It was practically bare, with a couple of empty bookshelves, the desks and chairs were pushed up to one side. Rose turned to the door to get out, but the door was not behind her. She furrowed her eyebrows; it should have been just there. She placed her hand against the wall, feeling for a hinge or a gap.

'I don't think we are supposed to be in here,' Scorpius said quietly.

'Shut up!' Rose yelled, still trying to find the door. She was starting to feel desperate. 'The door has to be here somewhere.'

'It doesn't look like it, does it, Weasel,' Scorpius snapped at her.

She turned around to glare at him, although it came out as a sort of grimace. Then, realising that this meant being stuck in a room with him, her eyes widened in horror and she turned around, frantically running to the corners of the room, trying to find an exit.

'Oh no, oh no, oh no,' Rose moaned as nothing happened. She returned to where the door should be and starting banging against it. 'I don't want to be stuck in here with _him_! Let me out! Hello! Anyone there? Please let me out!' she yelled as loud as she could, pressing her ear against the wall. Her voice echoed through the room, but it didn't seem to penetrate into the hall.

Scorpius sighed, tossing his robe and bag to the floor. 'Well done, Weasel. And I had plans reserved for later tonight too.'

Rose rounded on him, nostrils flaring. 'Are you suggesting this is my fault?' she asked incredulously.

'_You're_ the one who pushed us in here,' he said as if the answer was obvious.

'If you didn't get me in detention, we wouldn't be in this situation,' Rose argued, through clenched teeth.

Scorpius glared at her for a minute, before sighing. 'Whatever.' He turned to gaze at the wall.


	2. In The Room

Half an hour later, Rose was still trying desperately to get out of the room. She had given up yelling and had decided that breaking through the barrier was her only way out. The wall might look solid, however it could be like getting onto the platform, Rose resolved, as she ran out the wall again, hitting it was an echoing thud.

She fell to the ground in a heap, picking herself up she muttered, 'next time. It will let me out, next time.'

Scorpius had given up rather early in their attempts of freedom and was now sitting against the bare wall, watching Rose with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Rose was studiously ignoring him. Imaging that she was running at him, Rose charged again at the wall. Another thud reverberated through the room.

Her shoulder was beginning to hurt from being continuously slammed into stone. She gritted her teeth as she picked herself up again, facing away from Malfoy. She wasn't going to let slime like Scorpius Malfoy see her cry out in pain.

As she was walking back to her starting point, Scorpius called out to her from his wall opposite her.

'Alright, Weasley, obviously running at the wall isn't working so maybe you should stop trying?'

'No. I nearly had it,' Rose called back, lying. She had no idea if it was working or not, but she didn't want Scorpius to know that. 'I don't want to be stuck in here with _you_, so forgive me if I want to get out.'

'Yeah, so you have told me,' Scorpius muttered, huffing out a breath. 'Come on, just take a seat and wait it out.'

He patted the ground next to him. Rose glared at the spot and Scorpius chuckled. 'I didn't contaminate it or anything. Although it is rather amusing seeing you run at a wall, you _are_ going to end up hurting yourself, so can you please stop.' He smiled at her cajolingly which she snorted at.

'Does that work with girls, Malfoy? Because it's disgusting,' she said matter-of-factly. 'I'm close to breaking through, I can feel it.'

Scorpius rolled his eyes, shaking his head. 'You're about as close to breaking through as I am. Honestly, just leave it alone. Someone will come looking for you; they probably already are, so just sit and wait it out.'

Rose ignored him, edging onto her toes, as if she was ready to jump off of an edge. She clenched and unclenched her hands by her side, swishing them slightly in preparation. She could feel Scorpius' eyes on her, but she blotted out everything except her and the wall. Taking a deep breath, she sprinted towards the wall.

This time, when she collided with the wall, her right shoulder connected first, and then her arm felt like it was fire. She crumpled to the ground in a heap, landing on her bad shoulder. Spasms erupted through her arm as her weight collapsed on it and she cried out in pain.

'Bloody hell, Weasley!' Scorpius yelled, running over to her.

He crouched down beside her. She tried to scamper away, but her arm exploded in pain again and she gasped.

'Can't you ever just listen to me?' he asked angrily, trying to grab her arm. She kept dodging his arm as if it were a snake trying to bite her, even though every time she moved it, her arm burned. Tears were started to sprout in her eyes and she blinked hastily to make them go away.

'Stop pulling your arm away and let me look.' Scorpius grunted at her, lunging again and missing.

Rose shook her head in anger, before he lashed out and caught it, squeezing it securely, making Rose yell in pain.

'Sorry, but you kept moving it,' he said grudgingly. 'Now will you let me look at it or are you going to make it worse by waving it around?'

Rose looked at him. He watched her, concerned, his face set in determination. Rose reluctantly nodded, looking away to the window. Why did he look so concerned about her well being?

Scorpius gently removed her cloak, letting it fall against the wall, and pressed his fingers lightly on her shoulder. She winced slightly and he faltered, watching her reaction. He gently pressed his hand across her shoulder, feeling the tightened muscles. Rose turned her eyes back to him and watched silently. Why was he being so gentle? He should be gloating and laughing at her discomfort, so why was he trying to help?

'Why are you being nice to me?' she blurted out before she realised what she was doing.

She blushed as Scorpius' eyes widened and his body tensed, but he relaxed quickly, his usual smirk glowering on his face. 'I am nice, Weasley. Annoying you just makes me laugh.'

'Glad to know my discomfort entertains you,' she muttered.

He laughed at her and she poked her tongue at him. He continued to prod her shoulder, massaging the muscles. She winced a few more times, and every time Scorpius stopped and began softer. After a few minutes he stood up.

'Your shoulder isn't broken, from what I can tell. It just has ligament damage. Madam Pomfrey would be able to heal that easily once we're out of here.' Scorpius waited until she nodded, then stood and sat back down against the wall, closing his eyes.

'How did you know about that sort of stuff?' Rose asked, noticing a huge gap in her education that needed to be filled.

'You learn a thing or two after playing Quidditch for years,' he said grinning, his eyes still closed.

_This is such a strange afternoon,_ Rose thought. She got to her feet unsteadily, wincing as she bumped her shoulder on the wall. She watched Scorpius, who still had his eyes closed. He looked as if what happened didn't affect him in the slightest. They are supposed to be mortal enemies, but here they were, together in a room alone, and not arguing for once.

She started walking hesitantly over to him. Rose couldn't imagine how hard taking those few steps were. It was just placing one foot in front of the other, but they were like lead that refused to be moved. It was almost as if they knew it was a disaster in the making. The heels of her shoes clicked on the stone floor, sounding like drums in Rose's ears. She took the last few steps in one big stride and practically fell down beside him, wincing when she hit her shoulder.

She loosened her Gryffindor tie so it sat loosely over her shirt; her lungs felt constricted. She threw her cloak over beside Scorpius' Syltherin cloak and bag. Scorpius opened one eye and gazed at her curiously.

Rose shrugged and said in a sigh. 'I guess I can wait for a bit. No point breaking any bones over it. Just have to learn patience.'

Scorpius raised his eyebrows, and she narrowed hers, challenging him. He shook his head at her and smiled, making Rose blink. This wasn't his usual sneering smirk that he usually gave her; this was a genuine smile that reached his eyes. It transformed his whole face, so he wasn't just another Malfoy, he was … well, Scorpius.

Rose tilted her head slightly, examining his face. His crooked nose, the sharpness of his jaw line, the soft curve of his lips … hold on, what was she doing?

Rose snapped her head away hastily. Was she checking out Malfoy? Malfoy! Maybe she knocked her head against the wall as well as her shoulder.

As Rose was mentally scolding herself, Scorpius untied his own tie and let the two sides dangle from around his neck. He undid the top button of his shirt that was cutting into his neck, resting his head against the wall, closing his eyes again.

This didn't pass Rose, who watched him from out of the corner of her eyes. She was only watching to make sure he didn't try anything, she reassured herself, and only for that reason. Her eyes wandered from his face to his now visible neck line. Rose swallowed as she noticed his muscle contours through his shirt. Scorpius opened his eyes and noticed her. 'Are you staring at me, Weasley?'

'No!' Rose said indignantly, snapping her head in the other way. Her face started to feel hot. 'Get off you high horse! Just because you think you are so hot doesn't mean I do.'

She knew it was mean but she hoped some of the sting of mortification she felt might rub off on him as well.

To her annoyance, Scorpius chuckled. 'Is that how I seem to you? Big-headed?'

Rose nodded, still not daring to turn her head around to him.

'I'm not full of myself, you know?' Scorpius said, losing its demeanor. 'Not really. I just know what my strengths are and use that to my advantage.'

Rose snorted, looking out of the window again.

'Would you like to know what they are?' Scorpius told her. She could feel him leaning closer to her and her heart started to race. _Stop It_, she told her heart silently. _It's just Malfoy!_

'Yeah right,' she said sarcastically, turning around despite herself. 'So you just pretend to be big-headed, is that what you are saying? Why would _you_ need to do something like that?'

He looked at her thoughtfully, then shrugged. 'I _am_ a Malfoy, after all,' he laughed bitterly. 'Not a Weasley or a Potter. Weasley's and Potter's are smart, noble and selfless. They expect a Malfoy to be arrogant, selfish and over confident. It doesn't matter that I am different to my father, or my father's father, people see what they want to see. I do what people expect me to do.'

'Why?' Rose asked. Absorbed in Scorpius' story, she forgot to sound sarcastic or arrogant.

'Have I got you interested, Weasley?' Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow.

'No!' Rose said shrilly. 'Just … mildly curious.'

'Mildly curious?' Scorpius repeated, chuckling, and then fell silent.

Rose watched him every few seconds or so, trying to judge this new side to Malfoy. The silence wasn't unpleasant and it helped Rose to think quietly to herself. She never once considered that Malfoy was doing anything out of his normal demeanor. She just thought … that how he acted was who he was. It was just, she grasped for the right word, I guess she could say natural, for Scorpius to be mean and conceited.

Then again, Rose argued, he could just be making this entire story up just to humiliate her. She noticed his stature. He eyes were closed, head resting against the wall, like before. He was at ease, leaning there, but Rose couldn't distinguish whether he concocting up an evil plan or just really, waiting patiently.

'You said before that they will be trying to find me,' Rose said finally, breaking the silence. 'What about you?'

He peaked down at her. 'What about me?'

Rose furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 'Well … won't your friends be searching for you also?'

'Nar, they don't really care. They would probably find it funny that I got stuck in here with you, out of all people.' He laughed bitterly at the thought. 'I take care of myself, Weasley, as I have always done.'

'I guess I sort of knew deep down that you weren't all that terrible,' Rose told him grudgingly. 'I just didn't want to see it.'

He watched her, wanting for her to continue. She swallowed hard and thought for a minute before she spoke again. 'I mean, why would you put so much effort into your studies if you were so pig-headed, right?'

'What do you mean 'so much effort'?' Scorpius asked, sitting up straighter, regarding her.

Rose blushed, gazing down into her lap. 'Well … I know you are smart and sometimes,' Rose blushed a deeper shade of scarlet. 'I've noticed you reading by yourself in the library without your little posse of friends surrounding you.'

There was an awkward silence following Rose's confession. Rose refused to look at Scorpius to see his reaction and continued to watch her hands fold and unfold in her lap.

'Huh.' Was all Scorpius said, following the silence.

Another long silence filled the room, until Scorpius spoke quietly. 'Are you referring to the detention they received a few weeks ago?'

Rose nodded. 'Those first years were just walking by the library, they weren't doing anything wrong. They were just _there_.'

Rose noticed him observing her out of the corner of her eye, judging, calculating her reaction. 'I didn't pick on them. I don't really bully anyone that I have got detention for, except for your cousins. I just, don't tell them not to stop, if that makes sense?'

Rose nodded, still not looking at Scorpius.

'Why am I even telling you this?' Scorpius asked himself, laughing. 'My father is right. I am going soft. _I _am the shame of the Malfoy family. Once he finds out I got trapped in an abandoned room with a Weasley …' Scorpius shook his head.

Rose stole a glance at Scorpius. He was hunched over his lap, fiddling with his shoelace. He looked more vulnerable and innocent than Rose had ever seen him. Scorpius' uncaring, hard demeanor was crumbling and Rose was finding it hard to stay angry with him. There were some people that Scorpius Malfoy wanted to impress and make happy, even if he said he didn't.

'I don't think being soft is a bad thing,' Rose murmured. She blinked in surprise. Why did she say that? Scorpius lifted his head slowly, turning to face her. His face mirrored her surprise but he smiled at her. The real smile that made Rose's heart beat faster.

'And what would you define as a bad thing, Rose?'

'Well … not doing what you want to do and … not being who you want to be, even if it means disappointing some people, but if they are really disappointed in who you are then they don't deserve to be around you and you certainly don't need their approval. If you are proud of whom you are, no one else's opinion matters,' she told him softly, before pausing. 'You called me Rose?' she said confused.

'Yes?'

'But you never call me Rose, you always call me …' her sentence drifted off as she looked up into Scorpius' eyes.

They were grey, like all of the Malfoy's before him, but there was something different about them. Unlike his father, whose eyes were cold and steel-like, the eyes before Rose were softer … and were getting closer. He was leaning down towards her. She could see little flecks of blue throughout his eyes, which made them so more intriguing to her.

What was happening? Was Scorpius making fun of her little speech? Was he egging her on and then going to tell his friends about it later and they would all laugh at how gullible she was? However, something in Scorpius' expression told her no, he would not laugh about it or tell his friends, that what he was doing was genuine. This was what the real Scorpius wanted.

Scorpius leaned in closer to her. His hand grazed her cheek and she inhaled sharply, making it sound like a whoosh. Scorpius, eyes still locked on Rose's, moved his fingers across her cheek and down to her chin, tilting her head up, slowly, towards him.

'Rose …' he whispered, his face inches from hers.

She could feel his breath on her face, like a soft wind. Her eyes drifted closed. She felt his lips pressed lightly against hers, like a butterfly's wings briefly touching together in flight. His lips only just touched hers when a loud bang erupted on the wall behind them.

They broke apart as instantly as their lips met. Scorpius scrambled to his feet, wand already in hand, shielding Rose from whoever or whatever banged on the wall. Rose blinked in surprise at Scorpius' noble gesture. Rose went to stand and copy him but yelled out in pain when she tried to get up with her right arm.

'Rose? Rose! Are you in there?' A voice came from outside the wall.

It took Rose a few seconds to find her voice. It came out raspy as she replied. 'Yeah, we are in here. Can you please try and get us out?'

'We're trying. Hold on, the door keeps changing its location on us. Al has a plan.' Lily's voice sounded so relieved that Rose wanted to go out and hug her. She sighed happily, help had come after all.


	3. Aftermath

Her gaze drifted to Scorpius, who stashed his wand back in his pocket. He bent over, grabbing Rose around her waist and wrist, helping her to her feet. Their faces were inches apart again, both breathing heavily, not one breaking the other's gaze.

'Wha … what just happened?' she asked quietly, watching those cloudy grey eyes.

'I don't know,' he replied softly.

Hugo and Albus burst through the door, now opposite where Rose and Scorpius were standing. They took a step apart from each other when Rose's family stepped over the threshold. Albus stood in the doorway, preventing the door from tapping them all in. Rose was impressed that he had thought of that and was about to tell him so before she was engulfed in a hug from a red-haired girl who was nearly as tall as Rose.

'We were looking for you everywhere. We were worried something horrible happened to you. We knew you were searching for' – Lily stopped as she noticed Rose's companion – 'Oh, hi … Malfoy.'

Hugo and Albus were both glaring at Scorpius, Albus with his arms folded across his chest and Hugo with his hand inches from his wand. Lily turned, raising her eyebrows suggestively at Rose. Rose gave her an 'I'll-tell-you-later' look and walked over to where her and Scorpius' cloaks lay. She thrust his things into his hand without making eye contact and followed Lily out of the room. She was still looking between the two, red-faced teenagers with a questioning expression.

Rose could feel Scorpius trailing slowly behind them. No doubt, he was keeping an eye on Hugo and Albus, just in case.

Rose knew that once they left this room, she and Scorpius could never act the same around each other. Something had happened in there that changed everything. She could tell, although she couldn't say how, that Scorpius knew this as well, who was shuffling slower than the rest of them out of the room.

Rose felt his disappointment as she stepped through the doorway into the corridor and was confused to notice that she felt it as well. A million unanswered questions raced around her head and she started to get a headache from the onslaught that would not, or could not, be explained.

'So, what happened in there?' Lily whispered to Rose, curiosity getting the better of her. They were halfway down the hallway, Lily and Rose leading with Hugo and Albus behind them on either side, acting like their personal bodyguards. Scorpius lagged behind all of them, staring moodily down at the ground.

'Nothing,' Rose whispered back. She wanted to know the same thing, wanting desperately to turn and face Scorpius but knowing that she couldn't.

'I don't believe that. C'mon tell me –' Lily said, nudging Rose's injured shoulder. Rose couldn't help it. She lost her footing, yelling out in pain. She stumbled forward, catching herself against the wall, gasping again as it throbbed terribly.

'Rose!' Lily exclaimed, rushing over to her crouching figure. 'I'm sorry. I didn't think I hit you that hard.'

Lily continued to apologise as Rose got unsteadily to her feet. She leant against the wall cradling her shoulder. She closed her eyes, clenching her jaw, willing herself to take deeper breaths and calm down.

'Lily, seriously, it's alright! It wasn't your fault, just give me a minute,' Rose told her, and Lily fell silent.

Opening her eyes, Rose noticed Lily beside her, watching worriedly. Albus and Hugo were beside her, mirroring her concerned expression, Albus with his hands crossed over his chest, again.

Scorpius was a few feet behind them, stuck in two minds. No one noticed except for Rose that his foot was outstretched in a stride, as if he wanted to come to her side and help. Knowing the consequences of his actions, he placed his feet together, straightening up. His arm, that was also outstretched, fell down beside him, fist clenched tightly into a ball.

Their eyes met across the hallway, Scorpius asking silently if she was alright. When he saw that she was, he smiled slightly at Rose, before he gazed solemnly out of the window, shutting his face down like a steel door.

Rose smiled at Lily, saying that she was alright, who smiled back hesitantly, still not convinced.

'How did that happen, Rose?' Albus asked quietly, looking at Hugo out of the corner of his eye.

'Um … Just trying to get out of that room,' Rose said cautiously, not missing the two communicating silently in front of her. 'Honestly, Malfoy said it was just ligament damage. Madam Pomfrey will be able to fix it right aw-'

Apparently the two boys heard all they needed to hear. Without waiting for Rose to finish, they rounded onto Scorpius, wands drawn, pointing straight at him. Scorpius regarded them carefully, not trying to draw his wand.

'What are you doing?' Rose called out, but they ignored her.

'What did you do to her?' Albus said scathingly, his wand arm, deadly still.

Scorpius dragged his eyes to Rose for a second before staring straight back at Albus. Hugo was moving slowly in front of Rose and Lily, not taking his eyes off of Scorpius' wand arm.

'Nothing, Potter. As you just heard, I tried to help her.' Scorpius sounded calm, too calm, Rose reasoned. Lily was watching with a mixture of anger and despair.

'You expect me to believe that?' Albus asked incredulously.

'I would have expected you to believe your own cousin, but I guess I was wrong,' Scorpius said airily, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Albus narrowed his eyes also, a look of pure discontent glaring at Scorpius. 'She just wanted to talk to you, but you decide to hurt her instead? Feel tough picking on a girl, Malfoy?' Scorpius' jaw clenched at hearing Albus' rant. 'I knew I should have just taken you out when you framed her.'

'Then here's your chance,' Scorpius said, spreading out his arms, as if he was putting on a grand show. 'Don't even think about it,' he snarled at Hugo, who was creeping closer, but hesitated when he heard Scorpius. 'You're not old enough to fight me yet, little Weasel, and I am not in the mood to send you to the Hospital Wing as well.'

'So you admit that you hurt Rose?' Albus asked, sounding a little triumphant.

'Does it matter whether I confess to hurting her or not? You are not going to believe me even if I swear by it. So come on, give me your best shot.'

Scorpius closed his eyes, arms still outstretched, waiting for the blow. All of them stared at each other in surprise. Scorpius never missed an opportunity to fight Albus.

Rose watched this exchange beside Lily, torn between whether to help her family or help Scorpius. Why was she even considering helping Scorpius over her family? The family that had been beside her when she was upset, or when she happy. Then she would see Scorpius standing there, waiting to be hurt and she couldn't stand the thought of that either. Rose felt like something inside of her that had been repressed was released; and it was all because of Scorpius.

While Rose was mentally debating what side to choose, Albus was having a mental argument of his own. On the one hand, he had wanted it to be as easy as possible … but he had not imagined Scorpius not fighting. He had expected to have won after a hard fought battle; not cursing someone that refused to fight. His wand arm began to lower slightly.

'Come on, I'm waiting,' Scorpius called out impatiently. 'Are you too much of a soft arse to actually hit me? I thought a Potter was supposed to be bold and unyielding, not a chump and a coward. You wanted to do this, remember? So come on, hit me.'

Albus screwed up his face in anger. He raised his wand, aiming directly at Scorpius' heart. Lily groaned and put her hands over her eyes, Hugo backed away from the both of them, not wanting to fall prey from a deflection.

Rose's heart started to pump really fast. Making a split second decision, she ran forward and swiped Albus' arm to the side. The curse he aimed at Scorpius hit a parapet inches away and smashed it to pieces. She felt scared and uncertain as to why she chose Scorpius over her family. Everyone, Scorpius included, was gazing at Rose with surprise.

Thinking fast, Rose came up with an undisputable reason. She snatched his wand out of his hand. 'Are you really that thick Al?' She yelled at Albus.

Albus shrunk away from her in fear and awe, making Rose wince at how scared her cousin was. 'He was baiting you,' she said, lowering her voice, smiling at him consolingly. 'He wanted you to curse him so that you would get detention, just like I did. Just so our name could get dragged in the mud like _his_ stupid name.' She saw Scorpius cringe slightly at her harshness, but she continued. 'Don't listen to anything he says, they're just lies anyway.'

Rose hardened her voice and faced Scorpius with the ugliest look of loathing she could muster. And feeling sick in the stomach, she pulled her own wand out, now in her left hand, pointing it at Scorpius. 'You _will_ not frame me again and if you hurt my cousins or brother again, I will curse you,' she warned.

He laughed cruelly, high and cold. 'Yeah, right, Weasel. Like I would listen to anything you say. Just watch your back.' He played his part well, just like what people would expect him to say. Rose noticed there was something different in his eyes. He looked more vulnerable since what happened in that room and Rose didn't like how it seemed to depend on what she did.

'Don't talk to her like that!' Lily yelled.

'Well, what do we have here? A little guard puppy?'

'Yeah and you don't want to mess with me either, Malfoy, I bite,' Lily retorted.

Scorpius blinked and regarded the youngest Potter with an amusing smile before shrugging his indifference.

'Come on, Rose. Let's get Madam Pomfrey to fix your shoulder,' Lily murmured, sending Scorpius a death stare, gently prodded Rose down the corridor. Rose obliged, shoving Albus' wand back into his hand, stowing her own away, turned and walked slowly away. She wanted to curl up into a ball after what she said to Scorpius. What did he do to her?

Rose heard Lily bossing the boys to follow her or else she would curse them instead. Rose smiled, even though Lily was the youngest, she was certainly the most fierce of the family. She stole a glance behind her to see Lily standing there, hands on hips, looking just like Aunt Ginny did when she was angry. The boys walked with their heads bowed, embarrassed as Scorpius laughed. Lily walked behind them, making sure they didn't try and double back.

Rose's eyes automatically sought out Scorpius. He stopped laughing when they weren't watching. He looked tired and weary, slouching against the ruined parapet, as if all of the fight was knocked out of him. He raised his head, sensing Rose watching him.

He raised his eyebrows at her. She assumed he was silently asking if she meant what she had said to Albus. Rose shook her head slowly, hoping it wasn't too obvious to her family, hoping that Scorpius would understand. He smiled hopefully at her before he noticed Rose's agonized expression. He realised that she meant 'no' for everything, even that kiss. She choked on the word. Scorpius Malfoy had kissed _her_, of all people.

She hoped he could see in her eyes that she was sorry, for what happened, for getting his hopes up, for dampening them, before she turned her back on him, again, walking silently beside Lily. Rose could see the hurt in his eyes before she turned away and it made her sick. Although she chose Scorpius minutes before, Rose would always side with her family, even if that meant feeling like her chest was being squashed by a troll.


	4. What Becomes Next

Rose turned over in her bed for the twentieth time that night. She scrunched her eyes, punching the pillow before turning over, watching the stars out of the window. The bed wasn't the problem, the problem was Scorpius. It had been two weeks since they were trapped in the abandoned room. Two weeks Rose had been avoiding Scorpius throughout the school. Two weeks of endless insomnia that was driving her insane.

Her friends in her dormitory were getting annoyed with her moaning and grunting while she was trying to get to sleep. They gave her various ideas and recommended a couple of different potions to get her to sleep properly, but none of them worked.

Her cousins noticed the difference in Rose's behaviour and were getting worried about her. Albus stayed beside her in classes, deducing the behaviour was due to Scorpius attacking her in the room and planned to be her bodyguard, however she kept slipping away from him at every opportunity she got, causing him to get really frustrated.

'I'm just trying to help,' he would mutter angrily, when he found Rose curled up in an armchair in the common room, reading silently.

'I know Al,' she sighed. 'But you don't have to. I'm sure he won't try to curse me in front of everyone.' She refused to call him by his name, but even the thought of him was enough for her to feel a confused, longing ache.

'All the more reason to stay beside you when you wander off by yourself,' he would argue pointedly.

Hugo wanted to send an owl to their parents asking for help. Rose made him swear not to, so he just watched her silently in the common room at night, she knew that if she complained or let him see how miserable she was, the owl would be halfway home.

Lily was silent most of the time they spent together. She wouldn't talk about what happened after they found her, nor did she question Rose about what happened inside the room. Rose could sometimes feel Lily staring at her but when Rose looked back, Lily would turn to look in the other direction.

Rose sighed loudly, sitting up on her bed. Samantha Isaac, one of her roommates, rolled over watching her groggily.

'What's wrong Rose?' she asked sleepily, yawning.

'Nothing Sam, just can't sleep again. Go back to sleep,' Rose said softly.

Sam nodded, rolled over, lapsing instantly to sleep. Rose could hear her deep breathing and was envious that she could fall asleep that easily. Rose closed her eyes, placing her head in her hands. Flashes of Scorpius flitted across her eyes. That smile that lighten his face, the anxious look on his face when she got hurt, the flecks of blue throughout his eyes as they got closer, that exact moment that their lips met and left at the same time… Rose stood up, trying to get that image out of her mind.

She rubbed her shoulder, not out of irritation, but from habit. Scorpius had been right when he guessed it was ligament damage. Madam Pomfrey had healed it quite easily, again, as Scorpius had predicted. Rose pinched her shoulder in anger. Everything she did or thought about came back to him. Even the strangest notions somehow managed to be tied to him and it was driving her crazy.

Rose padded out of the dorm, treading lightly on the stairs down to the common room. The embers in the fire were burning dully but there was no one else around. She sat in her favourite armchair by the fire, watching them burn to nothing.

'What are you doing?' a soft voice asked behind Rose, making her jump out of the chair.

Lily looked innocent in the dim light, her auburn hair falling down to her waist, her hands clenched anxiously in front of her. Her flannel pajamas were too big, the sleeves falling over her hands as she moved and the legs of the pants falling over her feet. Lily looked tired, upset and worried all at the same time as she watched Rose. Rose almost cried as she looked at her younger cousin's face, walking over and hugged her tightly.

'I'm fine,' she murmured into Lily's hair. 'Just couldn't sleep again.'

'It's about Malfoy, isn't it?' Lily asked quietly.

Rose's heart started beating faster at the mention of his name. Rose took in a shaky breath before saying. 'What makes you think my insomnia has anything to do with _him_?'

'You haven't been sleeping well after the incident. You refuse to say his name anymore and Al said that you run out of your classes as quickly as you can before anyone has a chance to stow away their things. Don't try to say you don't because Al has seen you do it.' She added as Rose was about to argue. 'We're just worried about you, Rose. Why won't you just let us help you?'

Rose closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. How can she tell them about what happened between her and Malfoy? They wouldn't understand and Albus would just try to pick a fight with him afterwards. The idea of her cousin or Malfoy getting injured because of her foolish infatuation made her stomach squirm.

Infatuation, Rose thought before it all made sense. She had a crush on Malfoy! Thankfully Lily couldn't see her eyes widen in the darken room. This shouldn't, no, wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to hate him. Every single little detail about him, but something changed and now she found him … intriguing.

'Rose?' Lily asked, lifting her head to look up at her cousin's face.

Rose quickly gathered herself together. 'Sorry Lil, just thinking about a few things. I don't want you to worry about me anymore, alright? It's just a phase or something and I'm sure it'll pass soon.'

'You sure about that?' Lily asked dubiously.

'Yes, I'm sure. Now go back to bed before you catch the same thing I've got,' Rose said playfully, gently pushing her towards the dorm doors.

'Okay then,' Lily said, a tired smile on her lips. She hugged Rose one more time before going up the steps to her room.

Rose watched her go, turning to her own room after she left. Rose resolved as she got into her bed, that whatever feelings she had grown for Malfoy was just a crush and would go after a while if she didn't act upon them. And with that, she had the best sleep since being stuck in the room.


	5. Trust Your Feelings

'Rose, er … what are you doing?' Albus asked as they walked to one of their classes.

'Skipping,' Rose replied happily.

Rose felt carefree after talking to Lily last night. She finally understood what was wrong with her and even managed to figure what she was going to do about it. She could not see Scorpius, even in a castle as large as this one. Whatever feelings she developed for him could be buried and never brought up again, she reasoned as long as he stayed right away from her.

'I can see that,' Al said slowly, trying to figure Rose's sudden change of mood. 'Um … why are you skipping?'

'Oh … well it is sunny today,' she said breezily, smiling at him.

Other students were beginning to stare at her. She was right though about the sun. It had been cloudy for the past few days, creating a miserable feel around the castle. The sunlight was filtering brightly through the windows, silhouetting the parapets against the stone walls.

'But you hate the sunlight,' Al said, scrunching up his eyebrows.

Rose started to laugh at him but was cut short when a tall, blonde haired student stepped in front of her path. Rose's breath got stuck in her throat when she was standing face-to-face with Scorpius Malfoy.

His grey eyes widened when he recognised Rose, but he quickly collected himself, never taking his eyes off hers. The shadows that circled under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. Rose thought that he might have also been experiencing insomnia. Was it because of her?

'I need to talk to you,' he said softly, gazing into her eyes. There was a silent plea in his voice.

Rose opened her mouth, trying to form some sort of reply when Albus cut across her. 'Why do you want to talk to Rose for?' Albus said it loudly, attracting the attention of a few bystanders.

Scorpius glared at Albus, who had now stepped in front of Rose, shielding her from him.

'It has nothing to do with you,' he snarled, then looking around Albus to Rose he whispered. 'Please …'

'Please? Well, Malfoy has learned manners at long last,' Albus retorted, receiving some snickers.

Rose ignored and continued staring into Scorpius' eyes. She had to set the record straight with him, tell him that whatever happened in that room was a once off and nothing would or could come from it. Her heart pounded in her chest, her lip quivered being so close to him. The ache that she thought had gone was starting to come back.

Gritting her teeth, she walked around Albus and stood beside Scorpius, refusing to look at him anymore. Al stared at her in disbelief. She smiled reassuringly at him, gently squeezing his arm.

'It's alright, Al. I'll be right back.' She said it as lightly as she could, but something inside was telling her to run as far away from here as possible.

'But, Rose? We have class soon,' Al said flabbergasted.

'Tell the professor I'll be late,' Rose replied, starting to trail Scorpius, who was smirking at Al's misfortune.

'But … Why?' Al asked hopelessly.

'Trust me,' Rose mouthed to him, then turning to follow Malfoy's retreating figure.

Rose had to run to catch up with Scorpius, who was hurriedly walking down the corridors. He seemed to turn down them randomly, as if he was trying to lose her or any other followers. The smirk that was on his face before had disappeared.

Scorpius led her into an empty classroom, and then into a small store room in the back corner. She raised her eyebrows at him when he held the door open for her.

'Don't want to be overheard,' was all he said, before following her into the room.

Rose flicked her wand, turning on the lights. It was still very dim in the room, half of Scorpius' face was hidden in shadow. Rose couldn't look at him but she could feel his eyes boring into her face. She sat down on a nearby chair, staring determinedly at her feet. Now that she was in the room, she had doubts about her motives in the first place.

An awkward silence filled the room, suffocating Rose. She kept fidgeting with her tie, pulling it across her body constantly, as if it was cutting of her circulation. She could feel the heat, and she couldn't tell if she was sweating from that or her nerves.

Rose couldn't handle the silence anymore. She stood from her seat and turned to face Scorpius. He had not moved from the door, still quietly watching her, his eyes roamed up and down her body, as if he couldn't get enough of her. Rose pulled her cloak tighter around her, feeling naked under his stare. His eyes narrowed when she did that but she just clenched her jaw.

'What do you want Malfoy?' she tried to sound strong but it came out as a small whimper.

He continued to stare at her, before he answered. 'What happened in that room …' he said hoarsely as Rose cut him off with a groan.

'Was just a spur of a moment. It didn't mean anything,' Rose said loudly, trying to convince herself as well as Scorpius.

His face screwed up in pain but he composed himself into an impassive stare. 'Meant nothing, did it? Then why have you been avoiding me?' he said, his voice strained.

Rose's eyes widened but she quickly narrowed them to cover up her surprise. 'I – I haven't been avoiding you,' she stammered out.

Scorpius threw his fist against the door, making Rose jump. 'Of course you have,' he yelled at her, his frustrating finally becoming too much.

Rose took a few steps backwards, suddenly scared of him. He looked deranged with his bloodshot eyes and pale skin. He yelled at himself, pulling at his hair. Rose wanted to comfort him somehow but knew she had to keep her distance if she wanted this to blow over.

'I have looked everywhere for you! Every place where you normally are and you were never there! I tried to speak to you at the end of classes but you practically ran out of the room when the bell rang, so don't tell me you haven't been avoiding me because it is pretty obvious that you are!'

Rose flinched at his accusations, curling in on herself. She could hear his rapid breathing but she couldn't look at him. Her eyes starting welling up and she couldn't help it, she started crying in front of him.

'What do you want me to say?' she yelled back, straightening to her full height, tears rolling down her face. 'That this is how I want to feel and how I want to act around people? My family thinks I have gone insane but my problem is that all I can think about is you! No don't come near me,' she screamed, backing up against the wall as Scorpius went to go to her, his face contorted in a grimace seeing her upset.

She took a few deep breaths before saying sadly. 'Whatever happened in that room … can never happen again. I don't want it to happen again.' She closed her eyes, letting the last of her tears fall. She could feel her heart sinking as she said the words, even though she knew they were the right things to say.

'So, you are saying you felt nothing? That when I kissed you, you didn't feel the same,' Scorpius said slowly, letting the words sink in.

Rose nodded, watching the ground, hugging herself so that she didn't fall apart while inside her head was screaming 'no'.

'Rose, look at me and tell me that it was nothing and you want me to leave you alone,' he said firmly, moving closer to her.

He was close enough that Rose could reach out and put her hand on his chest, to fold herself into his arms and never leave. However, she hugged herself more tightly, refusing to let herself any closer to him. She had come to do one thing, and that was not to give in to him. She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. They looked soft and vulnerable like they did in the room and Rose's heart quickened under his gaze.

'Scorpius, I don't feel anything towards you and I want you to leave me alone,' she managed to choke out.

His eyes hardened, narrowing into slits. His face transformed into a grotesque snarl. He turned and stormed out of the room. Rose flinched as he slammed the door and finally let herself cry. She folded in on herself, trying to let the pain she was feeling escape as she crumpled to the ground.

She stayed curled in a ball on the ground, time not meaning anything to her. She even forgot about the class she was supposed to be attending. Eventually she calmed down, wiping her face on her sleeve with a few hiccups. She stood shakily, heading towards the door but stopped and gasped loudly when she heard a soft voice.

'You called me Scorpius,' Scorpius told her.

Scorpius stood in the doorway, watching her. He was no longer snarling but standing there with that vulnerable look on his face. Rose straightened quickly, her mouth opening several times, trying to find the words that had escaped her.

She finally whispered, 'huh?' although she realised what he had meant.

She gazed at him, stunned, as he strode over to her, placing one hand on the small of her back and the other behind her head.

'You called me Scorpius,' he repeated softly and then he pressed his lips against hers.

Rose's eyes widened as their lips met before she closed them. His lips were crushing hers as she tried to think a rational thought, but she was still in shock.

Then his lips became softer and, even more urgent than before. Rose could not help herself. Her arms wove their way through his hair, pulling him closer to her. She was kissing him back and she couldn't stop, though her every fiber was telling her to pull away, her head just kept saying 'go for it'. He yelped slightly at her sudden enthusiasm but he didn't break away or stop.

Eventually, Rose gasped and pulled away for air. She was breathing heavily as she gazed at Scorpius, surprised. He was looking back at her, his lips red and his hair sticking up at odd angles. Rose blushed when she saw his hair but he just chuckled, placing his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

'You are adorable when you are embarrassed,' he murmured, his breath washing against her face.

'Wha – what was that?' Rose breathed, trying to search is face for an answer.

'I don't know. All I know is that I've wanted to do that for quite a while,' he told her smiling.

'You … you did?' she asked, surprised. Everything in these last few minutes was a surprise to Rose and she didn't understand any of it.

He smiled more broadly, the smile that caught Rose's breath. Just to prove it, he dipped his head down, softly placing his lips against hers. Rose didn't try to resist. What was the point anymore, she reasoned, he already knew she had lied. He let his lips linger on hers before slowly leaning away.

'Scorpius …' Rose murmured, worried. 'Why are you smiling like that?' she asked annoyed.

He had a stupid lopsided grin on his face, like he had been knocked in the head with a bludger. 'I like how you say my name,' he said, picking her up and turning her around in circles, laughing. Rose couldn't help but smile and laugh with him, holding tightly on his neck.

'But seriously,' Rose started, once he put her down. 'What are we going to do now?'

'What do you mean?' Scorpius asked, turning serious. 'You like me, don't you?'

'I … uh,' Rose stuttered.

She looked into his worried eyes. She traced his jaw line, trailing her fingers across his lips. She knew that from then on, she couldn't part from Scorpius, even if she tried. 'Yes,' she whispered, scared of how vulnerable she sounded.

'Then nothing else matters,' he told her, smiling. 'I told you I don't care what people think of me, only your opinion counts from now on.'

'But my family …' she said, suddenly horrified. 'They wouldn't understand. _I_ don't understand …'

'Then we won't tell them. Not yet anyway. This can be kept between us, until you are ready,' he reasoned, hugging her tightly.

'We'll be sneaking around? Doesn't sound a bit … dirty to you? I dunno, so much could go wrong,' Rose muttered sadly, pushing away from him. 'Maybe we should just let our feelings dim and never speak of this again.'

'No,' Scorpius said forcefully, pulling her back against his chest. 'I will not go through another week without seeing you. I can't handle that.'

Rose closed her eyes and let herself be held protectively against Scorpius' chest. It almost felt natural, leaning against him. It was as if he was carved to hold Rose against his chest. He gently kissed her hair, leaning his cheek on her head.

'If we are going to do this,' she said slowly, against his chest. 'I want to be the one to tell my family, not some other student or you.' He snapped his head around to look at her but she didn't open her eyes to see his reaction. 'And if this doesn't end up working out,' her heart started pumping faster, 'then I want it to be a clean break. Nothing like what you did today in front of everyone, okay?'

'It will work out,' he said quietly, squeezing her lightly.

'But just in case, Malfoy, your word, please.'

'Alright, if that's what you want.' He lifted her chin and her arms automatically wound their way around his neck as he kissed her again.

Rose found it strange that her body already knew how to react to Scorpius kissing her, like second nature. She pulled him closer, slightly embarrassed how much she wanted to kiss him, to feel his lips against hers, his hot breath against her cheek. He didn't seem to mind, responding to her sudden need by lifting her up, sitting her on the table so that they were level. After a few minutes, Scorpius broke apart, breathing heavily, staring at Rose.

'Damn Rose,' was all he said, catching his breath.

Rose swallowed slowly, her chest heaving. She could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks.

Scorpius smiled and kissed both her cheeks gently. 'Don't be embarrassed, I just wasn't expecting _that_,' he smiled at her, that smile that stopped Rose's heart.

'What were you expecting?' she asked playfully, pulling on his tie.

'That I would have to persuade you a lot more for you to kiss me like that. If I had known you could kiss like that I would have done this, months ago,' said Scorpius, grinning madly.

Rose grinned back, after playing punching him in the chest. She leapt off of the table, grabbing her bag. 'We're really late for class.'

'Maybe we could just stay in here for the lesson,' Scorpius murmured, grabbing her from behind, placing his lips next to her ear. 'I have something in mind we could do …'

'Scorpius!' Rose exclaimed, jumping away from him, her heart thundering in her chest.

Scorpius laughed loudly, a carefree and happy laugh with none of the cruelness she usually heard when he laughed. His laugh was infectious and soon Rose was joining in with him, a little breathlessly though.

'Oh Weasley,' he said chuckling. 'I was only kidding. They'll be plenty of time for that later. Come on, let's go to class.'

Scorpius was still smiling as he took her hand, leading her out of the room. He stopped to pick his bag up from behind the door. He stopped at the classroom door, leaning against it to look at Rose. She just gazed back at him, smiling at how different he looked.

'So, we still hate each other in front of everyone else?' he said playfully, pulling her hair through his fingers as she nodded.

She nodded. 'Until I am ready to face my family.'

'I will be right there with you, Rose.' She smiled when he said her name. 'Just one more thing.' He leant across and kissed her lightly on the lips, before grinning and leaving the room.

Rose took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and her out-of-control heart. She stuck her head out of the classroom to make sure she wasn't being watched. When she was sure there was no one in the corridor, she sped along to her class she shared with Al and Scorpius.

'What happened? Why did you take so long?' Al hissed as she took her seat next to him, starting to copy his notes.

'Nothing. He just wanted to try and bait me again but I wasn't fooling for it twice,' Rose whispered back.

'You look like you have been crying. Are you sure you're alright? You look … different.' Albus scrunched his eyebrows together.

Rose pulled a face at him and nudged him. 'I told you it's the sun, plus I beat Sc-Malfoy this time, not the other way round.' She nearly blew it already by saying his first name; thankfully Albus was too preoccupied with glaring at Scorpius that he didn't notice.

'He is staring at you. Malfoy, I mean,' Al told her, glancing over her shoulder again.

'Al, seriously, just drop it. He won't even get near enough to hurt me,' Rose lied as her whole body tingled under his gaze. She couldn't look at him otherwise she might run over and never let him go. She smiled reassuringly at Albus, who still look confused, but he smiled back and started taking more notes.


End file.
